Amid the changing global landscape, Taiwan should enhance its societal resilience against information manipulation and psychological warfare, Pavel Fischer, chair of the Czech Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security Committee, said in Taipei on Saturday.
The Czech senator, who was also a presidential candidate in 2018, made the remarks when speaking to reporters at the Czech Hub in Taiwan, a collaborative initiative established by the European Values Center for Security Policy, the Czech-Taiwanese Business Chamber and other partners, aimed at strengthening the Czech community in Taiwan.
Small countries must realize that they also have a role to play, Fischer said, adding that the Czech Republic, as a member of NATO, should not only pay attention to US President Donald Trump’s words, but must also take on its responsibility to achieve NATO’s goal of building joint deterrence.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Taiwan must consider how to enhance societal resilience against information manipulation, he said, adding that elections in Taiwan have shown efforts have been made to protect the freedoms of speech and political life.
The Czech Senate passed a resolution last year supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO’s World Health Assembly and other international organizations, Fischer said, adding that amid ongoing military intimidation by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Taiwan’s right to global participation is more crucial than ever.
Europe has long underestimated China’s strategic and economic influence, creating a fragile situation as China and Russia seek to exploit divisions between both sides of the Atlantic, he said.
Security and prosperity are interlinked, as prosperity cannot exist without security, he said, adding that prosperity should be achieved through multiple aspects, including economic growth, social well-being and freedom.
Asked about the possibility of establishing more cooperative defense supply chains between Taiwan and Europe, Fisher said supply chain security is not a new issue, adding that related conferences were already held during his 2020 visit to Taiwan with Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil in 2020.
Supply chain security has become more important than ever, and Taiwan has significant potential in the design, development and manufacturing of semiconductors, he said, urging greater collaboration between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has been building a factory in Dresden, the capital city of the German state of Saxony, which borders the Czech Republic and Poland, and is just a two to three-hour drive from Prague, Fisher said, adding that Prague is becoming a hub in the area, and with TSMC’s investment, potential investments in Czech would gradually increase.
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